Public Realm Operative Level 2 (Parks)

Nottingham City Council; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days annual leave + bank holidays

Pension 17.9%

Smart Working

Health and wellbeing benefits

Discounted memberships

Job summary

Nottingham City Council is seeking two gardeners/grounds maintenance operatives for a fixed-term role of 6 months, 37 hours per week, onsite at Memorial Gardens, Victoria Embankment, Nottingham. The duties include gardening, grounds maintenance, and operating horticultural machinery, with driving responsibilities up to 7.5 tonnes and interaction with the public.

The role requires a full driving licence, an interest in horticulture, and the ability to work in a team outdoors.

Qualifications

• Full driving licence is essential.
• Interest in gardening and grounds maintenance or a desire to learn about horticulture.
• Desire to learn the history and significance of Memorial Gardens.
• Experience of working in a team and enjoy outdoor work.
• Willingness to learn new skills and use the placement as a springboard to further employment.
• Desire to engage with the public and work in public service.
• Ability or willingness to use hand tools and machinery.
• Fluent English is required by the Immigration Act for public sector workers.

Responsibilities

• Carry out gardening and grounds maintenance duties across Memorial Gardens and the City.
• Drive vehicles up to 7.5 tonne GVW and transport materials to disposal points.
• Operate horticultural machinery and hand tools as required.
• Interact with the public and explain the history and significance of Memorial Gardens.
• Support cleansing duties and front-line services as needed to maintain the public realm.

Skills

Full driving licence

Interest in gardening

Teamwork

Willing to learn

Public service interest

Hand tools/machinery handling

Job description

Job Description

Contract Type: Fixed Term for 6 months 2 posts

Working Hours: 37 hrs 5 days over 7 days some weekends

Worker Type: Onsite Worker

Salary: Starting Salary is £25,583 (Level one) rising to £26,403 (Level three) per annum 'pro rata for part-time' (Pay award pending)

Location: Memorial Gardens, Victoria Embankment, Nottingham NG2 2LA

We've got an exciting opportunity available for talented individuals to join our workforce - perhaps this is the opportunity you've been looking for? Read on to find out more...

Working for Nottingham City Council has great benefits. As well as competitive pay, great leave entitlement and access to a generous pension scheme, we strive to create an innovative, inclusive and progressive work culture where everyone is supported to do and be their very best.

In return, we are looking for people like you - people who are innovative, driven and committed to serving and improving Nottingham. So, if you are passionate about making a difference to the lives of those who live and work in our city, we want to hear from you.

* You can read more about the different benefits offered to colleagues working for Nottingham City Council here.

About the Role

Two posts available. The role will involve gardening and grounds maintenance work, driving vehicles (on and off road), operating horticultural machinery, using hand tools, interacting with the public and explaining the history and significance of the Memorial Gardens at Victoria Embankment. In addition to the role, the successful candidates will provide a range of gardening, grounds maintenance and cleansing duties throughout the City in order to maintain the environment, buildings and facilities which make Nottingham the cleanest city. The post holders will operate flexibly across a range of frontline services depending on service needs. This will include street cleaning, grounds maintenance, refuse collection, recycling and other Neighbourhood Services such as support to highways' services during inclement weather to achieve our public realm duties. The successful candidates duties will include driving vehicles up to and including 7.5 tonne gross vehicle weight, and transporting collected materials to designated disposal/discharge locations within and outside of the city.

We particularly would welcome applications from former armed forces personnel.

About You

The ideal candidate will have:

• A full driving licence
• An interest in gardening and grounds maintenance and / or a desire to learn about horticulture.
• A desire to learn the history and significance of Memorial Gardens.
• Experience of working in a team and desire to work outdoors.
• Demonstrate an interest in learning new skills, receiving training and in using the placement as a springboard to further employment.
• Demonstrate a desire to engage with the public, and an interest in working in public service
• Ability or desire to use hand tools and machinery.

This post is covered by the statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) (English Language Requirement for public sector workers) and therefore the ability to speak fluent English, is an essential requirement for the role.

You can find the job description for this post here.

At Nottingham City Council we believe that work is what you do, not where you do it. We offer different working arrangements, depending on the role, including hybrid working. Further information on Worker Types and what these mean in terms of how and where you work can be found on the additional information for applicants page.

For informal enquiries please contact Matthew Gyles, Public Realm Operations Lead, by telephone on 07890415630 or by email at [e-mail].

Closing Date: 20th September

Interviews will be held: 25th September 2026

If you have any technical issues when completing your application, please contact our Employee Service Centre: https://emss.org.uk/support

By applying to this job, you agree to our Terms & Conditions.

About Us

Thank you for your interest in working for Nottingham City Council. As one of the largest employers in Nottingham we offer a wide range of roles across a range of services. In return for your skill, drive and commitment to serving the people of Nottingham, we can help you to develop an exciting and rewarding career, with access to the following benefits.

In addition to working within a great team and a competitive salary you will have access to:

• 26 days annual leave (rising to 33 days after 5 years' service) + bank holidays with the ability to buy additional leave annually
• Access to a generous, defined benefit pension scheme offering 17.9%
• Smart Working - to support your work life balance
• Health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres, cinema, shopping and much more!

Nottingham City Council is committed to recruiting a talented workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We are a fair, inclusive and Disability Confident Employer, welcoming applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and abilities. We recruit for diversity and value difference.

If you are a disabled candidate and wish to be considered under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this within your application. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and employment journey.

We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and welcome applications from serving personnel, veterans, reservists and military families.

We particularly want to hear from you if you are from Minority Ethnic communities, identify within the LGBTQ+ community, or are disabled. These groups are currently underrepresented in our workforce, and we are committed to better reflecting the communities we serve.

We are supportive of flexible working arrangements wherever possible and encourage candidates to discuss this with us during the recruitment process.